West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-16
DANGERS OF OIL WELLS.
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES WITH
FIRE AND DYNAMITE.

The Small Boy and the Lantern-why
the Dynamite Didn't Explode-Fate OF
a DrIller-How the Lost Dynamite"
Was Found.
The great natural gas and oil fields Of Ohio
and Pennsylvania have unpublished histories
and stories which far surpass the widest
dreams of Imagination. The average man
will not believe the stories told Of the derrick,
drill and dynamite, and only drillers will ap-
preciate the following accounts, which are
given as actual facts:
In q small town right here in northwestern
Ohio occurred recently an event which, had
the citizens known, would have caused the
populace to drive drillers, natural gas wells
and oil men out of the place without delay.
Even now, should name of place be given,
authorities would undoubtedly pass an ordi-
nance, as has been done in Fremont, Fostoria
and other towns, forbidding the introduction
of dynamite
The gas well was located right in the village,
which is mere hamlet Of a few hundred in
habitants It was late in the day when the
Trenton was reached, and the driller, man
named Smith, who is considered an expert,
decided to shoot the well at 8 o'clock In the
morning.
Five large dynamite cartridges werc
brought to the derrick to be lowered into the
well. A rope had been attached to one of
them and the signal given for the men to
lower it into the well. The other cartridges
were carefully placed on the floor of the der
rick, all ready for use.
ONE MASS OF FLAME.
Just at this moment a small boy who had
been sent after lantern entered the derrick.
He stumbled and fell, the globe Of the lantern
breaking, and without moments warning
the floor Of the derrick, which was covered
with grease and oil, was one mass Of fame.
"Run for your lives,' was the order, and
without stopping to look behind, crouching
close to the ground and expecting every mo-
ment to hear terrible explosion from the
dynamite in the derrick, for the drillers knew
that it would be only a question Of how many
seconds before the heat would explode the
dynamite cartridge and blow not only thern-
selves into eternity, but the inhabitants who
were sleeping quietly and all unconscious Of
danger a few rods from the well, they ran as
mile from the well they stopped in the dark
ness and wondered why the "infernal thing
didn't go off,"
1t was almost daylight before they ven.
tured back to the WELL The explanation Of
the reason why the derrick didn't burn and
the dynamite didn't explode was very simple,
but it was unheard of and undreamed of by
drillers before.
An investigation showed that the derrick
had burned until the rope attached TO the
cartridge 10 lower it into the well had burned
off. The cartridge fell by its own weight into
the well, exploded at the proper depth by the
conclusion and the force of the explosion
forced a column of water up into tho air.
The water extinguished the fire in every part
of the derrick When the drillers returned
they found their gas well already shot, and
the town, derrick and dynamite safe. The
well is good one, but the drillers have never
told the citizens of that early morning race
for their lives.
NOT so FORTUNATE.
Equally thrilling, but not equally fortu-
nate, is the story that comes from Pennsyl-
vania of driller who tried to shoot an oil
well in the Beaver county field. He lowered
the cartridges carefully into the well and at
the critical moment was startled to hear the
oil coming up, knowing that the cartridges
would come up with It. Bracing himself
for the worst, he caught the cartridges as
they came up out OF the well. Unfortunately
they commenced TO drip. He knew if he
stepped on one drop Of the explosive that he
would never shoot another well; yet the drops
were falling around his feet. What thoughts
fitted through the mans brain as he walked
slowly on carrying the deadly rack-n-rock
will never be known. The mental strain and
anguish was too great and threw him on the
ground with a yell The drillers searched
far and wide for the remnants of his body
in vain.
The Blade has already mentioned the "lost
dynamite OH farm near Findlay. The dy
Mantle was discovered in a peculiar man.
ner last week. The farmer in whose field the
drillers buried the dynamite dared not plow
it, and he let it grow up to clover. The
drillers searched days for traces Of the miss
ing explosive, but in vain. The farmer
cursed the drillers, and finally turned herd
Of hogs in the clover. Going out the other
day to look at his hogs, he discovered them
clustered around the missing explosives. They
had, with swinish perversity, dug the rack-a-
rock out Of the mud, md the dynamite had
with equal perversity refused to explode and
butcher the hogs, no matter how hard they
kicked and rooted in that vicinity. The
owner of the land succeeded in calling them
away from the dangerous locality, and to-
day he values the clover field at 500 more
per acre than be did last week. An instance
of another rapid rise in Findlay real estate
Toledo Blade.